El Patron Mexican Grill

Skip this place! I love fajitas but they were bland, the salsa is bland and no heat whatsoever. I had a stomach ache the rest of the day. Not good.

I would give it about a C-​. For the volume of food you get its pretty pricy. The service was poor for reordering drinks. I asked for more chips twice and they never came.

This is my favorite place to eat in Austin. The food is amazing. I usually get the chicken chimichanga. It is absolutely great! The workers are always super nice even though I usually bring in my tornado of a son. I can usually get in and out of El Petron in about 30 minutes. They are ridiculously fast in coming and taking your order and then boom it’s right in front of you. The prices are really affordable, especially their lunch menu. El Patron is the best *Nacho Libre voice*!

Consistently good food and service. Large portions — in fact, most of the burritos can be shared unless you’re extremely hungry.
Atmosphere isn’t great (strip mall) but it’s also not cheap or tacky.
Warning: Margaritas are below average. Kind of surprising for a Mexican joint.
Otherwise: I’m a fan!

Bland food paired with worst margaritas ever. The michelada or whatever this guy made was equally terrible. Hopefully they can step it up.

I go here approximately once a week. It is fantastic food! The servers are great, they recently redid the interior (which looks good), and their prices are outstanding. Their lunch deals are the best, and you get your food pretty quick. All around, hands down, the best Mexican in Austin in my opinion.

El Patron is my favorite Mexican restaurant… For a small town in southern MN! The chips are always hot, with the yummiest pico de gallo and even some ranch for those of us who don’t enjoy so much spice all the time.
They are always willing to substitute your refried beans (I have texture issues with them) for whatever you want (usually I just pick rice).
Always friendly staff and willing to make your experience a good one.
Sometimes the burritos can be kind of «blah» on the inside, but that’s all I have to say for bad things.
I like this place way better than El Mariachi’s downtown. This place is family owned, and the price is not outrageous.
:)

I have lived in Austin for over 12 years and had only been used to the one other Mexican restaurant in town. When this place opened I was excited to try it. Being Hispanic and having experienced all the good food as a kid, I’m always on the look out for some good comfort Mexican dishes. I have been here about 10 times and have tried a variety of their dishes. I can regretfully say I am disappointed. I just feel like something is missing. Their salsa is good but the thin dried out chips don’t help. I don’t taste any flavor on their beef, their chicken is sometimes tough and tastes like they purposely wanted to just make it spicy. The one good thing I will recommend is their fajitas! The steak was cooked perfectly, and the side dishes complemented each other quite nicely. The reason I will be back is their competitive prices, and what I consider the best fajitas in town. Hopefully with time they will find an identity.

From San Diego and so was curious about their Mexican but it is surprisingly good. My husband enjoyed the Carne Asada tacos and I loved my chicken taco salad. Also ask for their diablo salsa if you like it hot.

In Austin, MN for a family funeral service, we came across a familiar small town visit dilemma: finding a restaurant for dietary restrictions. Mexican food is always a standby for my dad who is pescatarian and gluten free and my mom and I who are vegetarians, but we know from experience you can’t always count on a truly tasty and satisfying meal when there aren’t many options. El Patron was a lifesaver when it came to our dietary needs and a surprise superstar establishment with stellar guacamole! Their freshly chopped, extra-​chunky guacamole was the best we’d ever had in a restaurant and my mom has vowed to adopt it for her own meals. The food was delicious, the price was right, the margaritas were fabulous. We had a lovely time with a great server and went to bed well nourished before a tough day of funeral services. I wish there were more restaurants like it.